Deepening Abandon
by Allibelievein
Summary: Set in New Moon. Carlisle would never have left Bella behind. A father/daughter fic. No longer on hold! This is the real one!
1. Chapter 1

**I finally have begun redesigning Deepening Abandon! I was going to start a new story, but I knew that it wouldn't be fair to the readers who are so attached to this one.**

**This is a work in progress, and although I will try and post chapters as quickly as I can, I have a busy schedule and I am expecting that there will be a lot of time in between. I was considering writing the entire story before posting the chapters like some amazing writers (you know who you are!), but it would probably take years for me to finish!**

**Chapter 1 is worth rereading because I changed a lot!**** I hope that these changes make it better!**

**A huge thank you to ****Phoenixhp5t3****, who I should have listened to in the first place and without whom this story would never have been resurrected! (Don't you dare read this until I have finished reading yours! I promise I won't write any more until I've finished! I feel so bad!)**

Chapter 1

Alice POV

_ "Come take a walk with me," said Edward to Bella, his voice hard and cold._

_ She looked at him, frightened and unsure. Her instincts were telling her that he wasn't inviting her for a leisurely stroll, but she ignored them, as always, following him silently into the forest._

Part of me felt guilty for invading on Edward and Bella's private conversation. That was one of the rules in our family: do not invade on another's privacy if it can be avoided. I half-heartedly began to pull out of the vision, until I heard his words:

_"We're leaving, Bella."_

My mind brought the vision back to focus with an almost alarming speed. What did he just say? We never discussed leaving! I couldn't have heard him right.

_Bella was confused, too. After recovering from her brief shock, she took a deep breath, saying, "Okay. We just have to think of what to tell Charlie."_

_ Edward's face was reserved as he looked into her eyes, trying to convey a message he couldn't bring himself to speak._

_ "I'm not… coming with you?" Bella's response came out as a question, even though she knew it was true. She could understand him better than anyone else._

_ "Bella, I don't want you to come with me."_

_"You… don't want me?"_

_"No."_

_The single word cut through Bella like a knife, and she was forced to make the choice to fight or to flight._

_"Well that changes things," she said, defeated._

Remarkably, she had chosen flight. Why? The answer was clear on her face. She _believed_ what he was saying! That was so unlike Bella that all I could do in my blind state was grip the roots of my hair. Fight, Bella! Fight!

_Edward broke eye contact with Bella and looked into the forest. "Of course, I will always love you…in a way. But what happened the other night made me realize that it's time for a change. Because I am…tired of pretending to be something I'm not, Bella. I am not human." Looking back into her face, he continued, "I let this go on much too long, and I am sorry for that."_

I shifted my premonitory gaze to Bella, and my heart sunk. He was truly making this little girl believe his words. It was as if she had expected this to happen all along.

_"Don't," she whispered pathetically, all of the fight gone from her system. "Don't do this."_

_"You're not good for me, Bella."_

As she mouthed the words, _"I'm not good enough for you."_, I nearly slammed my fists on Esme's coffee table. So _that_ was what was going through her mind. I should have known. _He_ should have known. But then, with a fresh wave of hatred, I came to this realization: he _did_ know. He knew exactly how each of his carefully planned words would affect Bella. He knew her insecurities and self-doubts better than any of us did, and he was using them against her!

Distantly, I heard Rosalie's voice. "Alice?" Her hands were gently unclenching mine from my hair.

_Bella opened her mouth, and then closed it again, as if unsure of what to say. Finally, she said softly, "If… that's what you want."_

_Edward nodded, an air of finality about him. Bella looked close to collapsing._

_"I promise that this will be the last time you see me," he told her. "I will not come back. I will not put you through anything like this again. You can go on with your life without any more interference from me. It will be as if I never existed."_

_At his last words, a small amount of fight seemed to reappear in her eyes. "What about everyone else? Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie," she paused choking back tears, "A-Alice and Carlisle and Esme?"_

_"They're gone, Bella, and they are not coming back."_

I snarled in my fury. We weren't gone! We would never leave her in such a way! How _dare_ he—

_"But…" She gulped, closing her eyes briefly to regain her composure. "But don't they love me?" Her expression spoke wonders: she was bracing herself for what she knew was to come._

Yes, Bella, we love you! You are a daughter to Carlisle and Esme! To Jasper, Emmett, and I—heck, even Rosalie, even though she'd never admit it—

For the tiniest moment I saw the first flicker of emotion on Edward's face before it was hidden by his carefully checked mask. _"No, they don't love you; they never did and they never will. You were just a distraction, Bella. You broke the tedium of our monotonous lives, and for that I am grateful—we all are grateful. But now is time for a change. We are going to move on, Bella, and you need to, too." Smiling slightly, he added, "Don't worry. You're human—your mind is nothing more than a sieve. Time heals all wounds for your kind."_

At this point I was on my feet and in a rage. Soothing hands reached for me but they were dodged and sidestepped neatly, as the back of my mind predicted their every move.

"Jasper!" I heard Emmett shout. "Come quick. It's Alice!"

_Bella had collapsed in her grief, sobbing uncontrollably. She was normally one who never showed her emotions, but these circumstances were much different from any other. Edward knelt down and kissed her forehead before turning and walking away from her, leaving her, lost—_

"Shh… Shh, Alice, it's going to be alright, shh…" Hands caressed my face and I was immediately brought back to the present, looking straight into the eyes of the only one who could calm me in such a state: Jasper. He guided me towards the nearest couch and knelt down in front of me once I was seated. After uncurling my clenched fists, he took my face in his hands and I felt calm fall over me. "What did you see, Alice?"

I blinked a few times before focusing on his eyes and processing what he had asked me. I shook my head at him, allowing him to feel the fear and the panic that I was suffering as the vision replayed over and over in my thoughts. I could not tell him here, not in front of our watching family that had gathered upon hearing Emmett's shout. He seemed to understand.

Looking around the room, Jasper said quickly, "We'll be right back." He took my hand and pulled me out the front door, towards the forest. Once we had reached our destination, a small clearing not far from the house but far enough not to be overheard, Jasper sat on the ground and pulled me into his lap. "It pains me to see you in such a state. Please tell me what is wrong." He emphasized his words with another heavy dose of calm.

I closed my eyes tightly, as if not being able to see would make the news easier to tell. "It's Edward," I whimpered, my bottom lip beginning to tremble. "He has decided to leave Bella." And, without further ado, I turned my face into my husband's chest and began to sob uncontrollably.

My cries worsened, if possible, when Jasper began to project his own sadness. He projects when he loses control, and this is usually a rare occurrence. However, since his accidental attack on Bella just days before, he has frequently made it known how sad and angry he was at himself. He quickly realized his mistake as he held my trembling body, and I felt my cries lessen to sniffles as I relaxed.

"It's my fault," he stated in a whisper so full of self-hatred that it caused me to look up.

"It is not," I said firmly, gaining as much composure as I could to properly comfort him. "Edward made this decision, no one else."

He looked at me in disbelief. "Do you really believe that if I hadn't—"

I put a finger to his lips. "Jasper, it could have been any of us. It was an accident." I paused to stroke his face while thinking about what to do next. There had to be a way to stop this. Bella was more than my best friend, she was my sister, and I was not going to lose her to Edward's 'selfless decision', or, as I liked to call it, tactlessness. She was a part of this family, a sister and a daughter.

That's when the light bulb turned on in my head. Carlisle would _never_ abandon any of us, especially Bella, his youngest and most vulnerable daughter.

I jumped out of Jasper's lap. "There's still time. We need to speak to Carlisle."


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter 2! Again, it's definitely worth reading because I completely refurbished it. If you read the first version, I'm sure you'll recognize a lot but I rearranged it and wrote some parts over to make it beautiful!**

**Thank you so much for the reviews and general support! It means a ton!**

***If you had followed/favorited the first version, please re-follow/favorite this one because it's a separate document!***

Chapter 2

Bella POV

Even though somewhere inside I knew that Edward was long gone and that I would never be able to follow him, I ran through the forest. My clumsy nature was forgotten in my sudden desperation to not let go. I fell often, but each time I scrambled to my feet and continued to run. The thought never crossed my mind that I may never be able to find my way back. All the while, his words repeated themselves in my mind, and the part of me that believed this was possible had a mantra of its own.

_He never loved you. They never loved you. You are unlovable._

I felt like my insides were being ripped apart. Tears fell to the ground like rain as I searched without finding a single footprint to lead me forward. Something broke inside of me as I fell to the ground again, and this time I did not get up.

I gripped my sides as if to hold myself together. I allowed numbness to overtake me as things became clear.

_I'm nothing. I'm human. I'm nothing._

_ Love, life, meaning. Over._

Carlisle POV

I waited on the porch, for Alice had said that Edward would appear in minutes. As I awaited his arrival, I thought back to my brief conversation with Alice and Jasper.

_ I had been staring at the same word for an immeasurable period of time. A medical journal rested on the desk in front of me. I had picked it up to distract myself from thoughts of the so recent birthday party, but I couldn't seem to get it off my mind._

_ Why had it ended so badly? Bella is so accident-prone, but it's certainly not her fault. Disasters follow her wherever she goes. And poor Jasper, who is so new to the family, to have weakened at the worst possible moment… But it's certainly not his fault either. He must feel so guilty. I must find time to speak with him._

_ I was shaken from my thoughts by hurried knocks sounding from my office door. "Come in," I said, and into my office came Alice and Jasper._

_ I immediately noticed Alice was anxious, but her face was full of fierce determination. "Carlisle, there is something I have seen that you need to put a stop to."_

_ Surprised, I gestured for them to sit across from my desk so that we could see eye to eye. When they were seated, I nodded, "Continue."_

_ "As we speak, Edward is leaving Bella."_

_ I blinked as a thousand thoughts went through my mind. One of the first thoughts was that this would upset Esme, so I asked in a whisper, "Leaving her? What do you mean?"_

_ I could tell that Alice was losing her strength to continue. Jasper put a calming hand on her shoulder and spoke for her. "It's true. He's abandoning her in the forest. But the way he does it…" He shuddered. "It's brutal. It's going to break her." I trusted Jasper knew what he was talking about. He understood emotions better than anyone I had ever met._

_ I looked to Alice for more details, and she buried her face in her hands. "He's pretty much telling her that he's leaving her because being with her was a mistake. She doesn't belong in his world. He doesn't love her and he never did love her. She wasn't good enough for him, and oh, Carlisle, you should have seen her face. It was like she knew this would happen all along. Like she knew she wasn't enough for him." She took a steadying breath before continuing, "And when it hit her that we were all leaving her too… It was nearly unbearable to watch." Alice moved her hands from her face. "How could he do this? I mean, it was bad enough that he told her he was leaving because he never loved her but to tell her that we were leaving because we never loved her—"_

_ I was on my feet in a millisecond. "I would never leave Bella!" I nearly shouted. "She's a part of this family just as much as you are!"_

_ Esme was suddenly in the room with us. "Is everything alright?" she asked calmly, but her distressed face indicated that she knew that everything was far from alright._

_ I approached her and took her hands in mine. Looking to her eyes, I told her the truth. "Alice has seen Edward leaving Bella. He is going to demand that we leave her too."_

_ Esme's face crumpled in pain. I understood why she felt so strongly. She had lost a child before._

_ I pulled her towards me and held her in a firm embrace. "Don't worry. I will not abandon my daughter."_

I was brought back into the present at the sound of movement nearby in the forest. Knowing that Edward was near, I kept my mind blank and simply thought, _Edward. I would like to speak to you. Now._

He emerged from the forest edge, his face empty and his eyes cold, and walked at a human pace towards me. I couldn't read his emotions at all; it was as though he'd locked himself away.

"Take a walk with me," I told him, indicating in my tone that he had no choice but to follow. I wanted to speak with him privately, and although I had warned my other children that they were not to interfere at this point in time, I wouldn't be surprised if they disobeyed me due to the severity of the situation. I imagined Alice holding onto Edward's legs and begging with all of her might or Emmett tackling him and tearing him to pieces as he'd threatened, but I thought that neither of those situations would help Edward nor I reach a point of understanding.

"Believe me, I deserve that pain, a thousand times over," said Edward softly.

"Edward, what you did was very wrong, but at least it's fixable."

By this time, we were deep in the forest, far enough away that if we spoke softly we wouldn't be heard by the others. I turned to look at him, and his face, momentarily vulnerable, had returned to a hard mask.

"We're leaving. Tonight."

"No, we are not."

"Carlisle, I am not sure how much Alice told you, but I can assure you that this is for the best," Edward growled.

"How so?" I crossed my arms and looked at him sternly, but I was curious for his answer.

His answer was practiced and obviously what he had used to convince himself. "Bella does not belong in my life. I am much too good for her. She deserves so much more; a human life offers so much more joy and experience than one as one of us. What happened with Jasper was only—"

I cut him off, and spoke in a soft but mounting angry tone. "Do you honestly believe that Bella will experience a joyful life from this point forward, after you left her in such a cruel way?"

He didn't even flinch. "She will move on. She is human and she will forget."

"What happened to you?" I asked, disgusted. "I thought you loved her more than anything else in the world. I thought you cared about her."

Anger flashed briefly in his eyes. "I _do_ love her and I _do_ care about her, Carlisle! Isn't it clear that the only reason I—"

"No! It's not clear!" I snarled, now so close that we were only inches apart. I towered over him in my fury.

"Well, you're wrong," he said stiffly.

"Would someone who loves another person, as you imply you do, leave their beloved in a forest after telling them that everything that mattered to them was a lie?"

He was silent, and I took the opportunity to brace my hands on his shoulders and shake him lightly.

"Edward, I have studied Bella during our time together from both professional and familial standpoints. She has spent most of her life taking care of her mother, and the past year or so she has spent taking care of her father. She has few friends besides our family, and she has not allowed herself to become close to those people. She _has_ allowed herself to become close to us. I truly believe that, privately, Bella thinks of us as her _family_."

Hurt crossed Edward's face. "And you think I didn't know that?"

I shook my head sadly. "No, I knew you knew that. I just thought you needed to be reminded."

It began to drizzle, darkening our moods.

His face became stubborn once more. "No. I know what's best for Bella."

"No, you don't. You may be one hundred and nine years old, but maturity-wise you are only seventeen. I am your father, and I know what's best for you. I also know what is best for Bella, and this is not it. From this night alone, she is probably so emotionally damaged that it will take years for her to return to her former self."

I suddenly turned and ran back to the house. Within seconds I was at Alice's side.

"Alice, please tell me where Bella is. Has she returned to her house?"

"No!" Edward shouted from behind me. "No, Alice! I forbid you from ever looking for her future again!"

I turned to him. "You have no authority over Alice. Only Esme and I can make such decisions."

Edward's face suddenly broke in pain as Alice said, "She is still in the forest. She tried to follow Edward, but she got lost. She will be lying on the forest floor."

"Will anybody else find her before we do?" Esme asked desperately.

"She will be there for many more hours, but after that, her future disappears, and I don't know why—"

"And we don't want to find out," I said hastily. "I am going to find Bella before she hurts herself. Edward, you stay here."

Edward was visibly warring with himself. It was clear to me that the part of him that had made the decision to leave Bella in the first place was fighting against his desire to have Bella safe in his arms once more. Only time would tell which side would win.

Luckily, his choice was made within seconds. "You know what's best, Carlisle," he said in a strained voice.

Relief washed over me. I'd thought I had lost my son's trust.

I knew Edward better than anybody else. Ideally, staying with Bella would be his more favorable option, but it would be too selfish.

I turned and wrapped Esme in a tight embrace. "I will find her and bring her home. I will find her."

Charlie POV

I slammed the refrigerator door in frustration. I was hungry. Bella wasn't home and dinner wasn't ready. There wasn't even a note left on the counter with instructions on how to reheat leftovers. What was going on?

Wasn't Bella supposed to be home by now? School ended at three, and she knew I came home at five!

Where was she, and why didn't she tell me she would be gone?

In the midst of my search for premade food, the phone rang. I tried not to sound rude when I answered it.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Charlie. This is Carlisle Cullen."

I blinked in surprise. "Is everything alright? Is Bella okay?"

"Yes, Bella is perfectly fine. She is over at our house and she lost track of the time."

"Oh." It was all I could think to say.

"Since it is Friday, I was wondering if Bella could stay over all weekend. Alice was hoping to take her shopping."

"What about Edward?" The question burst out without thinking.

"Edward will be camping with his brothers."

I could see no reason to say 'no'. "She can stay, I guess."

"Thank you, Charlie."

"Yup," I grunted. Suddenly, an idea struck me. "Carlisle? You still there?"

"Yes, I am still here."

I coughed in embarrassment. "I hate to ask this of you, Carlisle, but I was wondering if maybe Bella could stay longer than this weekend. I really wanted to go on a fishing trip with Harry Clearwater."

"Charlie, we would be delighted to have Bella stay with us for a while longer."

"Thanks, Carlisle."

"No, thank _you_, Charlie. Goodbye."

I hung up, pleased that I would be able to go fishing earlier than I'd hoped.

But I guess I was ordering a pizza.

Carlisle POV

I hastened to Bella's house by foot to begin my search for her. I would follow her scent from the spot where Edward left her.

I was satisfied with my conversation with Charlie. It was a very good idea to make sure he did not call any search parties. It was also a good idea to arrange for Bella to stay with us for the time being. I needed to measure the enormity of the damage Edward's words had left on her and work to correct the wounds immediately. Just as Alice had promised, Charlie agreed to allow Bella to stay with us for the weekend, and he had taken the opportunity to go on his fishing trip guilt-free. However, his tone made me sure he would have gone whether or not Bella stayed with us, which made me wonder…

But now was not a time for me to wonder. My sole concern was Bella. I needed to find her.

It was growing dark now, and the drizzling rain had mounted into a shower. I kept to the forest edge as I entered Charlie's property, so as not to be seen. I could smell where Bella and Edward had walked, and I chased after the scent. Sadness filled me as I sensed the place where they had taken separate ways. Bella obviously thought she had been following Edward, but she was wrong.

I continued to run. I was amazed at how much distance the clumsy girl had made. I smelled her blood at places I imagined she'd tripped, and it made me go even faster. Bella needed me.

As soon as she came in my sight, I couldn't help but moan softly, "Oh, Bella."

There she was on the ground, curled into a ball with her arms wrapped tightly around her chest. Her clothes and hair were soaked with the rain that was coming through the trees. Her eyes were half opened, staring and unmoving. If I hadn't heard the beating of her heart, I would have thought she was dead.

But her heart wasn't beating normally. I became more afraid as I heard the staggering thumps.

I came to a halt in front of her and fell to my knees.

"Bella, can you hear me?"


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back! It's been two months since I posted my last chapter, and for that I am sorry! I had promised Phoenixhp5t3 that I'd finish reading her newest story before I posted another chapter, but I got lazy and I just stopped reading and writing fanfiction altogether. But it's a new year, and I had nothing else to do today, so I read the last four chapters of her story that I'd needed to read, and I'm posting this chapter now!**

**Happy New Year! Here is Chapter 3! Review, review, review!**

Chapter 3

Esme POV

I paced the kitchen, anxious for news of Bella.

I was so disappointed in Edward that I couldn't even bring myself to be in the same room with him. If I did, I wasn't sure what I would do. As soon as my husband left, I had disappeared into this room to be away from Edward. He had hurt my daughter, my youngest and most helpless child, and he may have damaged her beyond repair.

I sat on a stool and buried my face in my hands, trying to suppress a groan. Not soon after, a crash sounded from the living room.

I sped into the room to see what had happened, and froze in shock at the sight before me. Alice was struggling to break free from Jasper's grasp, and a broken vase lied at her feet. She had clearly knocked it down in the struggle, and she was glaring daggers at Edward.

"Let me GO, Jasper!" she yelled in her fury, and yet she seemed to be relaxing in his hold. "Why won't you let me be angry at him?"

"It will only cause more trouble," he whispered in her ear. "Just try to relax."

Emmett had a steady hand on Edward's shoulder, reminding him that he could neither escape nor attack.

Rosalie, standing in the corner, suddenly broke her silence. "I don't understand what the fuss is all about. Edward made the right decision."

Alice let out a livid yell and twisted so that Jasper was now keeping her from Rosalie's direction.

"Rosalie!" I was suddenly at her side. I was determined to make her see sense. "We understand that you feel forced into this life, but that is _your_ view. Don't you understand that Bella would feel the same way if she was forced into staying human? You dream of being human, but she dreams in the same way of becoming one of us. Doesn't that make sense?" I also knew that, if left alone, Bella would become even more miserable than Rosalie. She would not have Edward as Rosalie has Emmett. I was sure that Emmett was the one who held Rosalie together, and without Edward… I could not even imagine what would happen to her. Edward could make himself believe that Bella could find someone else to love in time, but I knew that it wasn't true. She would always see Edward as her one and only love, and no one would ever be able to replace him. Bella's lack of vanity would also affect her monumentally. Her selflessness would only end up hurting her, making her continue to forget about herself. We were always the ones there to remind her that she mattered. We were the _only_ ones there. She needs us, and we need her.

"It's wrong," Rosalie said simply, though her face had softened a small degree.

"What is truly wrong is being ungrateful for what you have," I argued.

She smirked. "And that does not apply to the human, I assume?"

"She IS grateful for everything she has!" shouted Alice. "She is grateful for us, and I can promise you that even if we _had_ left her, her feelings would have never changed!" Her eyes suddenly brightened with an idea. "Jasper, tell her what you told me! About how Bella feels… about Rosalie."

He looked hesitant, but after examining Rosalie's genuine expression of curiosity, he relented. "Bella accepted you as a sister from day one whether she knew it or not, and I'm sure Edward can vouch for that." He glanced at Edward, who remained silent. "Whenever you are in the same room as her, she feels a strange mixture of fear and hope. She is afraid that you will never accept her and hopeful that someday you will. She is excited to get to know you, and she… You probably won't believe me when I say this, Rosalie, but she _loves_ you just as much as she loves each and every one of us. Well, probably not as much as some," he amended with a grin, glancing at Edward and then at Alice, who smiled brilliantly at the recognition.

Rosalie was lost for words. She spluttered for a few moments and then decided against saying anything. I reached for her hand and she allowed me to hold it. I understood the gesture to be one of acceptance.

My cell phone suddenly rang, and seeing that it was Carlisle, I excused myself from the building to speak privately. I reached the forest in seconds and answered the phone. "Carlisle?"

"Esme, darling, I don't have much time, and I need you to listen closely." Carlisle's voice was hurried and tense.

"I'm listening."

"I found Bella, and she is worse than I'd thought. I will be bringing her back to the house immediately, but I need you to dismiss Edward and his siblings. They can go on an excursion somewhere far away, and I will call them to let them know when they can return. I am sure that Emmett and Jasper will be able to handle Edward, even if they have to physically remove him from the vicinity. We can't have too many around Bella right now, and I am sure they will understand."

My eyes were wide and I responded softly, "Of course, dear."

"I have spoken to Charlie. I told him that Bella was at our house, and she lost track of the time. There will be no search parties, love. Also, we have been given an indefinite amount of time with her while he goes on a fishing trip."

I felt a weight I had not known was there leave my chest. I took a deep breath before saying, "There is much to talk about, but it will have to wait until Bella is safely in our home. I will do as you ask."

"Thank you my love. I will see you soon." And with that, he hung up.

I took another deep, unnecessary breath before running towards the house. I needed a moment to prepare myself for what was to be done. Edward, certainly, would not take this well.

As expected, Edward already knew what was going on. Either he had overheard my thoughts while I was speaking with Carlisle, or Alice had accidentally had a vision of either Carlisle or of me while we were talking on the phone. Either way, Jasper and Emmett were wrestling him to get his arms behind his back when I entered the room once more.

I spoke as if I didn't know that they already knew. "Carlisle has found Bella, and he is bringing her to the house as we speak. He has requested that you all leave for a little while until one of us calls for your return. Is this clear?"

"NO!" was all Edward was able to shout. Alice nodded mutely before running upstairs to grab a few necessities. Jasper and Emmett both made eye contact with me for a split second, each understanding that they knew what they had to do.

Rosalie just looked at me with her eyes full of… concern? "Will she be okay?" she asked me quietly, as if she didn't want the others to hear. They appeared not to, for they kept going about their business.

"Yes, dear," I pulled her into a hug. "And when you return, I am sure she will be so happy to speak with you."

When I pulled away, I was relieved to see her showing a small smile. That was one less worry on our plate.

Alice then reappeared with two large duffle bags on her shoulders. "I have everyone's things. We'll survive. For a while," she added with a wink.

In the meantime, Emmett and Jasper were dragging Edward out of the room. "Bye, Mom!" Emmett managed to shout before they all disappeared out the door.

"Goodbye!" I called back. Both Alice and Rosalie gave me hugs before departing. "We will call you to let you know when you can come back!" I reminded them before they disappeared from my sight.

I stood there for a moment before realizing that I had to prepare a room for Bella. The guest room would do, as it had no memories and a potential for Bella's style. Since Bella has become a part of our lives, I'd always envisioned this room to someday become hers.

My interior design instincts were on overdrive. The room already had a bed, but it needed clean sheets and warmer blankets. The empty bookshelves and the distinct lack of earthly belongings could be resolved later. I worked at vampire speed to complete the tasks I had set for myself.

I was almost done when I heard a weak heartbeat as they approached the property. This would have to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**This is the last chapter that I already had written. It just needed a little bit of editing. Chapter 5 might not come for a while, just so you know. My second semester begins on January 21, and I'm not sure how busy I'll be. Between now and then, I'll try to use some of my free time to write it. I don't know what's going to happen in this story any more than you do, so it's going to take some thinking!**

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews! I'm so glad to be back at this! Please keep reviewing! Your reviews inspire me!**

Chapter 4

Carlisle POV

It was believed by everyone in my family that the strength I had brought into this life was my compassion. There were times that I had questioned this theory, not believing myself to be the blameless, loving man that they all dreamed I was. Indeed, though I was immensely grateful for these compliments, my existence in itself has led me to think otherwise. However, I was beginning to see the truth in this assessment more than ever at this moment.

I had not felt such concern for another since Rosalie had brought Emmett to me in 1935. My daughter needed me, perhaps more than anyone had needed me personally than ever before.

My steps were slower than usual and my gaze was upon the girl in my arms. In my meditation, I vaguely noted the scents of my other children in the distance and the paths they had left as they'd departed the property. I hadn't even noticed that I'd entered the yard until Esme appeared, and I promptly returned to myself.

"Esme!" I whispered in desperation.

"Carlisle, I was so worried," she whispered back. Her anxious face immediately turned to Bella. "Is she conscious?"

I looked down at Bella once more. Her heartbeat was still uneven, and her skin was noticeably paler. "Yes, but barely," I answered softly. "She keeps on repeating 'They're gone.'" The last of sweet Esme's composure seemed to leave her, and she buried her face in her hands for a moment. After a deep breath to calm her, she uncovered her eyes and looked into mine for a long time. I reached for her hand and she took it, and we drew strength from each other as we always did. She then gently reached for Bella's hand and brought it to her lips, silently letting Bella know that she was loved.

This was the first and most miniscule of many attempts I knew were to come.

We stood there, connected by hands, for only a moment longer before I suggested, "We should bring her inside."

Esme turned and walked towards the house at a slow pace, and I followed her inside and up the enormous winding staircase. I didn't question her as she turned into our suite. Although she had already prepared the guest room, I understood that she somehow felt our space to be the safest place for our daughter. I felt the unexplainable sensation too.

Esme reached out her arms, and I gently placed Bella into them. Her maternal gaze never strayed from the girl, and I felt an unexpected warmth fill me. As much as I had fully accepted Bella as my daughter, I wasn't surprised to see she had accepted Bella in the same way. We both had the same hope that she would one day feel the same about us…

But I was getting ahead of myself, and was immediately brought back into the present as I looked at Bella. We still had a long way to go before we could reach that enormous feat. For now, my daughter, usually so strong, at least on the outside, had crumbled in a moment of self-doubt. But it certainly wasn't her fault, and that I was sure of. When she'd first told me what was to come, Alice had said that Edward would be "abandoning her in the forest after breaking her heart."

Edward.

This was Edward's doing, I thought, hot fury building in my cold, empty veins. He had been given the chance to know her better than anyone, and what he didn't know about her was brought to his attention by other people's thoughts. Sometimes those thoughts were from Esme or from me, like the time I'd seen Edward's eyes flicker to mine as I examined Bella from across the room. I'd been thinking about how difficult it was for her to allow herself to be cared for or even get close to others in general, and as I'd thought this, his eyes had shown sudden understanding and insight. I was instinctively filled with regret for having those thoughts and giving him that insight, though at the time I didn't understand why.

These same thoughts lead me back to not hours before, when I had spoken with Edward in the forest.

_"…I truly believe that, privately, Bella thinks of us as her family."_

_ Hurt crossed Edward's face. "You think I didn't know that?"_

_ "No, I knew you knew that. I just thought you needed to be reminded."_

I had known he'd already understood this about her. Yet, now that I've had more time to think about our current situation, I was sure that not only had he known it already, but he'd already used it against Bella, to cause her pain. He'd known that we were her family, but he'd also known her insecurities. He knew that if he told her that we didn't love her anymore, she would believe him because she didn't believe herself to be 'worthy' of us in the first place. And he knew this all because of _my_ insight.

I cannot permit myself to think of this as my fault. I should be _allowed_ to have thoughts about my own daughter and I should be _allowed_ to desire to help her. The one at fault is my controlling, out-of-control son, Edward.

Closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose, I took a needless breath for focus. I was the only one who could solve this problem.

And I would.

Esme POV

I stood in the middle of the room holding my nearly lifeless daughter for what seemed like hours. Days could have gone by and I would not have noticed. I wanted to hold her in my arms forever. She needed me and I couldn't find the will to release my grasp.

My meditation was broken as I heard a deep intake of breath from Carlisle. I looked up at him, and I witnessed his eyes sharpen in determination. I smiled gently at him, knowing that the decision he had come to would be one I would agree with fully and unquestionably.

I was the first one to speak. "Bella has been lying on the forest floor. I am going to bathe her and change her into clean clothing before we decide upon what to do next. Does that sound alright with you?"

His eyes softened a fraction at the considerate idea. "Absolutely. I'll be in my office if you need me." His eyes landed on Bella and he caressed her cheek before leaving the room.

I looked down at Bella again, and spoke to her directly for the first time this evening. "Bella, dear, we need to get you cleaned up." Her eyes remained unmoving and I neither heard nor saw any indication that she was aware of my presence.

I carried her into the bathroom and turned on the water in the bathtub. I set her on the edge and gently removed her clothing, being careful of the cuts and bruises she seemed to have acquired very recently. As I waited for the tub to fill, I cleaned each of her small wounds with an antiseptic that Carlisle had taught me to use. He'd shown me many things of this nature since Bella had come into our lives.

Soon enough, the bathtub was filled with warm water, and I carefully laid my daughter in. Again, she showed no sign of awareness at the change in her environment. I was becoming very, very worried, but I tried hard to stay calm in her company.

After Bella was washed and dried, I changed her into comfortable sweatpants and a tee shirt and brought her to the bed Carlisle and I shared.

"Carlisle," I called softly, knowing he would hear me.

He appeared almost instantly in the doorway.

"She's all clean and comfortable," I said.

"I'm glad." He smiled sadly. "Did you treat her injuries?"

"Of course." I smiled, knowing he was always proud of me for treating someone medically, no matter how minor the injuries.

"They're gone…" Bella breathed from across the room. I am sure that any human would not have been able to hear it, but we did. The sound was so sad, so hopeless, that we were both beside the bed in an instant.

Carlisle pulled Bella to him and cradled him in his arms. "Honey, that's not true," he cooed. "We're still here."

She shook his head into his shirt, and I could smell the scent of tears emanating from her. I mourned for her pain.

"Gone… Left me…" Her quiet voice cracked in agony, and her body began to tremble.

I put a fist against my mouth to prevent myself from crying out. I watched my husband hold Bella closer in a secure, protective hold.

"We would never leave you," Carlisle said firmly, reassuringly. "Bella, we need you to come back to us. We're here, waiting for you."

Her heartbeat began to slow along with her breathing, and before long Carlisle declared that she had cried herself to sleep.

"What are we going to do?" I asked desperately.

"I don't know, Esme," he replied as he placed Bella underneath the blankets. He looked ready to cry himself, but, like me, had to choose to stay strong for our daughter. After tucking the covers around her small form, he lay by her side and began to tenderly stroke her hair. He looked at me expectantly, and I took the invitation with a small smile. I lay on Bella's other side and kissed her cheek before settling in. "I don't know."

**So... What do you think?**


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